Dogwood Youngbloods Imperial Porter
BrewMaster’s Series #1 - The BrewMaster’s Series is a limited edition series where each beer is crafted by one of our brewers. Every batch in the series is unique and reflects the brewer’s imagination, creativity, and passion for beer. Enjoy.
Youngblood’s Imperial Porter is brewed with a wide variety of malted barley and has a rounded chocolate character from the roasted grains. I wanted to explore using many different malts. It’s not for the faint of heart.
Youngblood’s Imperial Porter is brewed with a wide variety of malted barley and has a rounded chocolate character from the roasted grains. I wanted to explore using many different malts. It’s not for the faint of heart.
4
291 reviews
Atlanta, United States
Community reviews
Incredibly dark brown pour with absolutely no head to speak of. Aroma is heavy with musty flour and cardboard, with some dark chocolate and coffee notes. Flavor is cardboard and bread starter, a hint of unsweetened cocoa, and brackish coffee. The complete lack of any carbonation simply kills anything this brew might still have going on. It is hard to imagine based on the vestiges here, but this must have been fantastic in its heyday. I am sad that I arrived too late, as this ’dog’ is all worn out.
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Re-rate off of new bottle ...
Slightly increased carbonation, but my earlier review still rings true. Please note that my reviews/numbers are not indicative of what this brew must have been at its peak, and only contribute as overall data to what one might POSSIBLY expect from a bottle as of April 2010.
Bottle 65cl. @ LCRBM09 - Low Countries RateBeer Meeting V, Kulminator, Antwerpen, Belgium.
Clear dark black color with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, light brown head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, roasted, caramel, chocolate, berry, licorice. Flavor is light heavy sweet and bitter with a long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily and sticky, carbonation is soft. [20090905]
A Mes rate. Bottle at LCRBM #5.
Excellent black body / tan head looks and the head is remarkably stable. Tons of chocolate, vanilla, wood and fruit plus a distinct nutty note. Very sweet, lots of warmth and complexity. Excellent palate. So what’s wrong? I was really excited to try this as it was Chris O’s top rated beer for a long time and if anyones opinion is to be respected it’s his. Sadly I just couldn’t get into it. Far too over the top and just a bit of a mess. Gutted.
Bottle at LCRBM5. Black as hell, lasting tan head. Some vanilla bean, some choc. But not really up to my taste. Not great to be honest.
[9/5/09] Bottle sample during LCRBM at Kulminator in Antwerp. Black-colored with a brown head. Powerful chocolate, fruits and whiskey in the aroma. Sweet flavor with bitter chocolate, oak, whiskey, some dark fruits and a bit of alcohol. Viscous mouthfeel.
@ LCRBM 2009. A black colored beer, with a dark brown thick head. The aroma of sweet fruits with chocolate. Burned malts with tonsil. The taste of chocolate with dark fruits and tonsil. There is bitter with sweet. The aftertaste of chcoclate with some sweet.
Black beer. Very rich and complex aroma and taste. Burned malts, sweetish and full bodied with notes of bitterness at the end.
Dark beige rim over black beer. Alcohol, brandy-like onslaught on very discreetly roasted malts. Sweet-complex, old sherry with walnuts and chocolate; dark fruit as prunes/plums. Very well-bodied, viscous and warming. Excellent beer, great! unbelievable they went out of business.
bomber by way of zyklon-b zathrus13...
what an odd color... opaque purple tinted black with a short lived orange-ish purple head.
intoxicating nose... everything i want in a baltic is here... smoky wood, prunes, raisins, dates, vanilla, chocolate, licorice, aged malt, graham cracker and roast.
the flavor is a timid seemingly watered down version of the aroma... throw in some ashiness, smoke, cooked black barley and a tart clean finish along with some coffee in the aftertaste and that’s it! it is nowhere nearly as sweet as the aroma lead me to believe but it lacks that same punch.
it is medium bodied and very well balanced. acidity and bitterness keep it very easy to drink. 10/5/8/4/17/4.4
Poured black with small brown head. Aroma of chocolate, coffee, and a hint of fruit. Coffee, chocolate, and fruit flavors present. Slightly over the top.
sample at Ale Atlanta 6/4... pours a dark brown with small tan head. very sweet aroma with some raisins and some whiskey. lots of aged malts throughout as well as some chocolate and dark fruits. seems a bit thin, but overall very tasty.
22oz bottle shared by Axilla. Poured dark brown, with a thin tan head. Aroma was fruity and sweet, yet roasty, with notes of chocolate. Tastes of cherries, chocolate, and roasted malts. I think its held up pretty well, and I enjoyed it.
Morgan’s tasting, 07MAR09. I think KP sent this to me. Dark murky brown with a small brown head. Sweet nose, chocolate and fruit, roasty malts. Chocolate and caramel flavors, dark fruit and a roasty malt bite. Seemed a touch oxidized, but not too much. Damn fine brew.
Yum. Thanks for sharing, Ethan. My first note on this one was "Wow!" Black pour with a light brown pillowy head. Complex nose-- with the eyes closed, this could have been a red wine. Woody aromas and subtle notes of raspberries, cherries, and earth. Sweet cherries and chocolate added on the taste. I think Jason called it well with "Christmas cookie" as well. Really quite good.
I think this one was past it’s prime. Light, muted malts, and the flavor seemed a little watery and somewhat stale. I shared this with several people and everyone agreed that this was pretty much dead in the water. Not to say this was bad per se, but it was clearly showing signs of old age.
Retro review from 2007. Pours up with a volumous creamish tan head that nicely top the mahogany-deep garnet body. Big upfront fruitiness of dark stone fruit e.g. sloeberries followed by hints of baker’s chocolate, licorice, dry-sac sherry (oxidation). Some (grapefruity) Cascade notes are still perceivable. Flavor shows some caramel flan & sweet chocolate notes followed with a slightly burnt roastiness. A balanced bitterness gives balance to the warming finish. Good depth & complexity. Medium bodied. The grainy astringency, oxidation & overall mouthfeel detract some from the overall impression. Good representation of the style. Sorry to see these guys out of business. CHEERS! Beertracker *Thanks to beerhandy for the opportunity!
Bottle generously shared by emacgee - thanks, Ethan! A lovely thick pour, like chocolate syrup. Surprisingly thick and creamy head, given the age on this one. One of the most complex aromas I’ve experienced in a while, with some soft vinous notes blending really superbly with the strong chocolate. Earthy and fruity flavors emerge slowly, along with some very vivid cola nut and Christmas cookie. Whoa, this is yummy. And somehow there’s even a delightfully bitter finish, the whole coming together improbably and really wonderfully.
Bottle shared by emacgee. Sweet, I’ve been looking for this one for a while. Thanks for sharing, Ethan. Nose is potent with a lot of aged character--oaky,vinous, raspberry dark chocolate, earth. Very nice aroma. Mouth feel is a little thinner than I wanted and flavor could stand to be more rich and intense, especially given the outstanding nose. But hot damn, this is a gem and it deserves it.
Huge thanks to thebeersomolier for sending his last botttle, thanks Matt! So, already super excited about this one. Starts out pouring that ink black that I so love and tops it off with a frothy dark chocolate head. Nose is very layered and complex. Definitely shows signs of its age. Nice tannic notes, almost vanilla, earthy and rich, molasses, dark chocolate and coffee, light alcohol. Very pungent and pleasing. Flavor is very rich, molasses, chocolate, anise, fruity in a way, a rich malty sweetness with a nice balancing crispness and some tannic notes. Palate is sharp and crisp with some fruity notes on the finish. Fantastic.
Bottle shared by SuzyGreenberg. Thanks Ben! The aroma is amazing. Can’t stop smelling the aged dark fruits, chocolate, and caramel mixture. Love it. Dark brown pour with a thin head. Starts off with sweet ripe dark fruits followed by some bready caramel. Finishes with a light dry roast and earthiness. The beer is very lightly carbonated and the body is light for all that is going on here. Smooth and incredible. Delicious.
22 oz. bottle - huge thanks to springslicker for this tasty treat; roasty brown with very thin tan head; roasty aromas of rich chocolate; much more on the sweet rather than bitter side; drinks dry with slight sweetness; body on the thin side and just a touch of sour; flavors of chocolate, wood, roasted malts; wow, just mainly chocolaty goodness; and yes, i did lick this bottle as i finished it off!! haha; i must know where this brewer is working now so i can get more of this!!
Big thanks to SuzyGreenberg. Lots of coffee and chocolate plus some dark fruit and salty licorice. Very drinkable with moderate sweetenss and medium body. Could stand to be a bit thicker. Very solid.
Also thanks, SuzyGreenberg! And thanks after4ever for bringing me the glass of this while I was busy running around. Looks frigging black, with a tiny amount of khaki-colored head. Smells severely chocolate-y with hints of toast and hazelnuts. Seemingly a little thin-bodied but that doesn’t really matter. Mellow- not a punch in the mouth, and I’m a dude who is all about subtleties. Magnificent!
22. Thanks, SuzyGreenberg! Holy cow, what a treat! Pours jet black, laceless. No legs. Virtually headless, maybe a couple filmy bubbles at first. Huge and beautiful dark chocolate nose. Still. Light, feathery body. Rich, roasty, chocolatey mid-palate. Doesn’t have the hop bite, funky prune, or teriyaki overtones so common in big black beers like this, especially when they have some years on ’em. Big, bold, flavorful, but has a mild and gently sweet finish. Amazingly well-balanced and proportionate all the way through. Astonishingly good.
Big thanks to Adam at Green’s for this gem. Pours a viscous, oil slick black right out of the bottle. I wasn’t sure if this one would have much life left in it, but it produced a 2-finger mocha head that lingered as a cap throughout leaving good lacing. Possibly the best looking porter I’ve ever seen. Huge dark chocolate malts and licorice in the aroma with some wood showing up as well. Taste is massively complex for this style with the aforementioned chocolate with lots of dark fruit and brown sugar. Hints of wood and booze notes in there as well finishing slightly bitter. Only the slightest bit of oxidation in the smell and taste. The mouthfeel is spectacular - silky smooth with strong carbonation. I love this beer, and considering it’s the first Dogwood I’ve had, it makes me even more disappointing that I missed out on this gem of a brewery. Great, great beer.
An interesting offer from Dogwood, makers of one of my favorite barleywines ever. I’ve had the bottle for about 6 months and my neice’s graduation party was a fine time to crack ’er open. The aroma on this was really tempting. Dark chocolate, roasted malts, black licorice, oxidation, molasses, and suprisingly plummy. Thick, black and coating would be a good description, which a 1" thick brown head. The flavor of this was a smidge oxidized, but not bad. What I got was a fantastic combo of peated malts, chocolate malts, molasses, coffee and very light rum notes. It was all very tasty and I’m happy that I got to share this with a few others who really enjoyed it too.
Thanks Matt -- Perfect black body with a great yellow head. The bottle exploded on opening... got to love carbonation. Sweet aroma, caramel and dark fruits. Perfect caramel mats with some dark fruit accents. Smooth ending with a light spice accent.
Rating #300, tasted 4/19/2008, courtesy of numenor, and thanks also to theBeerCellar, who made Dave promise he would share this bottle, apparently, and share he did!. Thanks Dave! Dark brown color, and the head was, shall we say, energetic. Aroma of very strong prunes and oak. Almost like this was barrel aged. Taste is toffee, prunes and cherries. Alcohol hidden well and very drinkable.
Bottle shared by puzzl. Pours black and initally flat, though when poured more vigorously some tan head appears. Aroma of coffee, roasted malts, dark fruits and nuts. Taste is more toward the coffee and nuts side. This one has certainly past its prime though. A bit minerally and thin on the palate.
My 1000th!!!! Pours a deep almost opaque brown color with a brown head. Aroma is molasses, brown sugar, roast, chocolate, and a little bit of plum poking through. Flavor is grainy, plum, molasses, brown sugar, roast, a hint of toffee, and a just slightly alcoholic bitter finish.